Spitflyers,
A fair of amount of "field testing" in years of NC heat yields:
The HS4 carbs perform OK without a heatshield when used with the
stock cast iron exhaust manifold. The 4-into-1 exhaust header generates
more radiant heat and a shield is required. I have a nice polished
stainless one from TSSC. A bit spendy, but effective (& shiny).
The Weber carbs (DCOE & DGV) work just fine without a heatshield.
The various ZS carb variants are OK without a heatshield, unless you
also have a cat-con. I'd use one then, especially for city driving.
Of course, as always YMMV.
I try to avoid the heatshields when I can. They make removing the
carbs/manifolds take twice as long. Not that I'm always taking it
apart or anything...
--
LBC'ing U,
Bob (& Spitfires)
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